Review of The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) by B. W — 06 Feb 2018

One of the most insipid scripts I've yet seen turned into movie. You'd think that someone might actually want to read the script before green lighting a project instead of assuming that anything with JJ Abrams's name automatically spells success. The Cloverfield Paradox has now proven that having JJ's name on a project doesn't spell success. To would be film backers, read the script before deciding to bankroll a project, especially if JJ Abrams name is attached. You don't want your money bankrolling and your name in the credits on a dud like this.

The only paradox to see is why Netflix decided to stream this dud on their service.

Suffice it to say that this is a story about scientists who try to solve an energy crisis by apparently trying to harness the energy of alternative dimensions. When the rig that extracts this energy is successfully enabled, all hell breaks loose and dimensions collide guided using hilariously bad movie tropes. The cast tries their level best to salvage this insipid script, but fails to do so.

On top of this, this film is shoehorned into the Cloverfield mythos almost entirely on name alone (but feels the need to add an entirely unnecessary monster at the end to make it seem more Cloverfieldy). The silly script and preposterous plot devices abound until the very end when you walk away scratching your head and wanting your 1h 42m back.